1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to mobile terminals. More particularly, the present invention relates to using multiple communication channels to synchronize a mobile terminal based on data type.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Mobile terminals, such as handheld computers, cellular telephones, tablet computers etc., are typically used to view and manipulate various databases, such as personal information management (PIM) data, emails, and web sites. The mobile terminal is typically synchronized when the databases are updated, for example, when the user modifies PIM data on a target computer or when the contents of a web site change. FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art technique for synchronizing a mobile terminal 2 over a local connection 6 (e.g., a USB connection) to databases stored on a target computer 4 as well as web pages stored on the Internet.
FIG. 2 illustrates various configurations for remotely synchronizing the mobile terminal 2 to the target computer 4 via the Internet 8. The mobile terminal may access the Internet 8 over telephone lines 14 using a modem communicating with an Internet service provider (ISP) 16. Alternatively, the mobile terminal 2 may access the Internet 8 via a wireless connection, such as a cellular provider network (CPN) 18, or a wireless access point (WAP) 20 such as Bluetooth, 802.11b, or HomeRF. In yet another configuration, the mobile terminal 2 may access the Internet through a remote computer 22 connected to the Internet. In each of these configurations all of the synchronization data is routed through the target computer 4, creating a bottleneck that can significantly extend the synchronization session. This is undesirable because it increases the access latency to the synchronized data, and for a remote connection (e.g., a wireless connection), it can increase the connection fees and decreases the battery life of the mobile terminal 2. Further, some of the synchronization data may be private data and inaccessible through a public communication channel via the target computer 4. A user may synchronize the mobile terminal over more than one communication channel (e.g., a public communication channel and a private communication channel), but this requires manually configuring the mobile terminal to perform multiple synchronization sessions over the various communication channels.
There is, therefore, a need to improve upon the current processes for synchronizing a mobile terminal to synchronization data, such as web sites, emails, and PIM data.